Greed is not good: Silicon Valley's new 'spirit of generosity'

Asher Moses

A new "spirit of generosity" among rich young Australian technology entrepreneurs is helping to solve serious societal issues such as eating disorders.

An Australian PhD student, provisional psychologist Jenna Tregarthen, has suspended her studies and moved to Silicon Valley to pioneer a new app that is helping bulimia and anorexia nervosa sufferers beat the condition by digitising tedious paper-based treatment methods.

Tregarthen, who watched her best friend struggle with bulimia for over 10 years, dropped out of her clinical psychology PhD at the University of Wollongong when her venture was one of 10 out of 1000 entrants to be selected for the Summer Institute for Entrepreneurship program at Stanford University.

Her app, Recovery Record, available free for both iOS and Android, was released after two months in development. It aims to give women a far easier way to keep a food and mood diary, construct meal plans, track progress and schedule reminders. The app, funded by a "private benefactor", uses game mechanics and rewards to increase compliance.

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"[Users] are telling us that they have been waiting for something like this for years, and that it feels like they are being supported 24/7," said Tregarthen, 26, who has previously worked as a Lifeline Australia counsellor.

But she couldn't have got the app off the ground without help from fellow Australian entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley who Tregarthen met through the Stanford program.

"There is a sense that there is enough pie to go around and that we can all be winners. It really puts the Australian tall poppy syndrome in its place," she said.

"Stuart has shared with me countless lessons learned through his own startup, he has introduced me to his networks and his incredible technical skillset that has enabled Recovery Record to come to life."

Separately, Sydney GP Emmanuel Varipatis has created an app to help people quit smoking, dubbed "MyScreenBuddy Quit Smoking Programme". "It's like having a support group in your pocket," said Dr Varipatis.

It comes after Australian Lisa Domican, whose daughter Grace is autistic, developed an iPhone app that is regarded as a breakthrough in helping autistic kids communicate.

According to a 2006 Flinders University study, one in 12 Australian women at some point in their life will have serious eating disorders, which kill 20 per cent of current sufferers if left untreated. Citing a different study, Tregarthen says that with treatment this number falls to two or three per cent, however, over three quarters of women suffer in silence because of the stigma surrounding seeking help.

Those who do seek help are asked to fill in an onerous paper diary, writing down everything they eat and how they feel up to 10 times a day.

"You have enough trouble remembering to do your homework, not to mention how self conscious you feel bringing out a piece of paper in front of your friends," she said.

"You don't do the homework and consequently feel like a failure, become embarrassed and distance yourself from therapy. Twenty years later, you are still battling with the disorder."

Professor Stephen Touyz, associate head of the University of Sydney's clinical psychology unit and an expert on eating disorders, said he saw the app as a "step forward" for treating sufferers. "Most young people these days feel more comfortable typing rather than writing and developing electronic-based adjuncts to treatment I think is a great way forward," he said.

The app is personalised and designed to respond to the user's mental and emotional state. For instance, it suggests "distractions" and "relaxation exercises" depending on how the user is feeling.

"We're also leveraging social affirmation amongst the girls by getting them to provide anonymous affirmations to one another and that is really boosting their commitment to the process," she said.

"Each time the girls log a form they obtain a piece of a puzzle, which, when complete, reveals a gift from the iTunes store that they then receive with an encouragement note via email."

Tregarthen says her app, unlike a simple paper diary, is able to give users closure and affirmation when they confess their greatest fears and eating patterns that they are ashamed of.

This was backed up by a 17-year-old Sydney user who, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that in traditional treatment settings she felt like she was "forced" to comply with the program and punished for forgetting meals.

"[The app] has helped me realise that I'm able to eat six small meals a day ... also, I've learned that if I'm given the choice and made to feel like i'm in control, I can make it work," the user said. "They have an online community full of people who are like me, who want to recover. I finally found a place where I'm accepted."

Tregarthen said the app isn't designed to replace therapists but to increase the quality and effectiveness of the care they provide. In fact, she said users were taking the app to their therapists who have approached her asking for access to their patients' data - a potential business model.

"We're still beta testing at this stage, but it is possible that we will engage therapists as re-sellers of the product - they would pass on the cost of a subscription to their patients' parents," she said.

"Parents are currently spending over $10,000 on treatment (excluding inpatient costs), including approximately $50 for a for a paper homework book which generally goes without use."

Tregarthen is working with the Stanford Eating Disorder Clinic to develop a proof of concept that will help therapists integrate the technology and data into their therapy sessions.